Piano Tuning
To set up a piano tuning appointment, please call Tom Dans at 203-687-4388,
We offer master-level piano tuning services.
We also offer repairs, refinishing, and moving services.
Tunings within New Haven County - $90.
Connecticut tunings outside New Haven County - $150.
Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions about piano tuning or pianos.
Tuning a Baldwin Acrosonic
Please feel free to contact us if you live in any of the following Connecticut cities and are looking for a piano tuner:
Ansonia, Avon, Bethany, Branford, Bridgeport, Bristol, Brookfield, Cheshire, Clinton, Danbury, Darien, Deep River, Derby, Durham, East Haven, Easton, Enfield, Essex, Fairfield, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Hamden, Hartford, Kent, Litchfield, Madison, Meriden, Middletown, Milford, Monroe, Naugatuck, Newington, Newtown, New Britain, New Haven, New London, North Branford, North Haven, Northford, Norwalk, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Orange, Oxford, Prospect, Redding, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Seymour, Shelton, Southington, Spring Glen, Stamford, Stonington, Stratford, Thomaston, Trumbull, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven, Westbrook, Westport, Wilton, Windsor Locks, Woodbridge, Woodbury, and Woodstock, CT.
Please contact us for piano tuning services for any CT location not listed above.
Frequently Asked Questions About Piano Tuning
Why do pianos go out of tune?
Blame the weather. Humidity changes are the main cause of pianos going out of tune. The strings are mounted on a wooden soundboard that absorbs moisture and expands during humid weather, and shrinks during dry weather. This stretches and relaxes the strings, changing their pitches and making the piano sound out of tune. Also, the action of the hammers hitting the strings throws them out of tune.
How soon after moving should I have it tuned?
Wait three to four weeks after moving for the most stable tuning.
How often should I have my piano tuned?
Pianos should be tuned every six months. If a piano has not been tuned in more than a year, it takes longer to tune, and the tuning is not as stable.
Is there anything I can do to prepare for a tuning?
The tuning pins need to be accessible, so all objects should be removed from the piano. Good lighting and a quiet environment are helpful. In most upright pianos, the tuner will prop up the top and remove the front board for access to the tuning pins; grand pianos will be opened and the music desk removed.
How are pianos tuned?
Each piano string is attached to a pin mounted in the soundboard. Some notes have two or three strings and each must be tuned. A tuning lever is used to adjust the pitches up or down.
What can I do to maintain my piano?
Just play the entire keyboard on a regular basis to keep the action parts working. Lack of playing makes piano actions degrade over time and is the main cause of sticking keys. The highest and lowest notes don't get played very much, so try to play a simple exercise on those notes on a regular basis.
Should I air-condition my piano room during the summer?
If possible, yes. Reducing humidity swings will help keep your piano in tune longer. It's best to have your piano placed away from heating vents for the same reason.
How long does it take to properly tune a piano?
It can take 2-3 hours because most pianos have over 220 strings and every string must be tuned individually. If a piano is very out of tune or needs a pitch raise, a second tuning is sometimes required to achieve tuning stability.
What's a pitch raise?
It's a preliminary rough tuning of the entire keyboard to bring strings to their correct tension levels in a piano that is very out of tune or needs to be brought up to concert pitch. This ensures that the final tuning will be stable.
If your piano is very out of tune or has not been tuned in over a year, a pitch raise is recommended. This is especially important if the piano will be used for piano lessons, concerts, or for playing with other instruments. Pitch raises are usually performed one-third of a step at a time, to minimize string breakage and maintain tuning stability. Please discuss with your tuner if there will be an additional charge.
Why Pianos are Tuned in Equal Temperament The term Temperament refers to the method used to tune pianos: we 'temper', or adjust, the interval between each note in a scale to make them sound evenly spaced.
Modern tuners always utilize the 'Equal Temperament' system for tuning pianos. However, musicians did not always know about Equal Temperament, and, in the past, keyboard instruments were tuned in various temperaments depending upon which key they were played in. Notes that were not in that key would sound out of tune.
Equal Temperament was developed by mathematicians in both China and Europe in the 1500's.
The development of Equal Temperament enabled composers to vary the key within one piece of music, taking advantage of the fact that the new temperament made it possible to sound good in all of the keys.
Bach's famous composition, 'The Well-Tempered Clavier' takes full advantage of the breakthrough, showing off every single key in one piece of music.
Before the development of Equal Temperament, such a composition would not have been possible, as any given keyboard instrument would have only sounded in tune in a limited number of keys.
A simple arithmetic sequence of intervals would not sound evenly-spaced, and would not permit transposition to different keys.
We always use the Sanderson Accu-Tuner, which calculates Equal Temperament for tuning your piano.
